The fight to save Malta
by dldaddy
Summary: Aboard the Malta MAC station, UNSC Corp of Engineers Chief Engineer Justin Madison ends up on the doomed platform, unaware of the impending Covenant attack against Earth. Rating is for some adult themes and mild language.
1. Chapter 1 Dawn of a new day

Notes: This is my first submission to Fanfiction. This is not going to be a typical Halo shoot 'em up story, although there will be action. Hopefully you will enjoy reading it, and please post reviews/feedack!

Disclaimer: All things halo belong to Bungie. The story I am using I made up, from details from the opening mission of Halo 2.

_November 1st, 2552_

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Deck C Room 298_

Justin awoke from his sleep a looked around the room cautiously. The same haunting dream had stirred him as it had for the previous week.

His wife Audrey lay next to him, undisturbed by his motions and frantic breathing. He calmed himself as he looked at the beautiful brunette laying beside him, thankful that she was safely beside him and not in the freefall he had just witnessed in his sleep.

He had done everything to try to save her, yet there was too much distance between them. It was somewhat if a strange sight, seeing his bride free-falling through space.

Typically a person could not last more than a few seconds in space before their blood pressure caused them to become nothing more than a dark purple matter floating in nothingness, but she had managed to quietly scream to him as she floated away.

He couldn't hear her, but her words were terrifyingly loud and clear..

"Help me"

He arose from the bed and walked toward the small bathroom in the opposite corner. The orbital stations could never boast of their amenities, but again most of the rooms were designed to house soldiers and technicians, not really the environment for lovers.

After shaving he tried to wash away the memory of his dream in the lukewarm shower, partly longing for someplace with a sufficient supply of hot water, and partly wishing he could somehow get the imagery out of his head.

Why did the dreams persist? It seemed that everyone was having horrific dreams of Covenant attack and the Earth being glassed, but his dream had no indication of Covenant even being present.

A calming hum came from outside of the shower, and Justin instantly knew what it was. He pulled the shower partly back to see Audrey looking intently into the mirror, humming some long-forgotten tune that only she would know, hoping not to notice some facial flaw or grey hair trying to make its escape from her scalp.

"I don't think that mirror has ever been happier" Justin quipped, as the Audrey's smile quickly showed the mirror was indeed a happy sight of natural beauty.

"You're not getting lucky again, you and I have a lot of work to do today" She replied, with her eyebrow sternly but playfully raised.

"And since when have you not been able to take a compliment?" He retorted as he cut the water to the shower off.

"Since I learned what their purpose is." The couple smirked as Justin started to dress, putting on his regulation UNSC Corp of Engineers suit, and started lacing up his boots.

He heard the shower turn back on as Audrey stepped gracefully in, her hair in a bun. She was in a bit of a hurry this morning since Justin had failed to wake her. It seemed lately that something had been bothering him, something that she was going to ask him about after this day was finished.

She thought maybe it was stress, seeing as how the Covenant seemed to be marching toward earth. Despite what the public was being told, as a part of the Firefly news service she knew the reports were a lot bleaker than the public was lead to believe. The UNSC and ONI were keeping a tight lid on anything that might bring down morale, including intimidation of journalists and their crew.

Audrey was part of the FireFly relay crew, pulled together for the special event happening tomorrow. It was the return of humanities' hero, Spartan-117.

Each Orbital station had been told to broadcast the Chief's return to all personnel, and her relay team was to ensure that the crew of the Malta got a good look at the fierce warrior.

The stories she heard coming across the news wire were amazing, and the first time she read about the flood simply sent shivers down her spine. Thank God that the Spartan had managed to destroy the hellish place that could contain such unthinkable horrors, and hopefully he managed to kill every last one of the Covenant in the area as well.

It was hard to believe that so many lives had been lost, but after the destruction of Reach and so many other worlds, she had almost become numb to the idea of human losses.

Audrey didn't know if Justin knew it or not, but under her usually cool façade was a person who needed some asylum from the horrible news that she continually saw from within her agency's coverage of the war.

Justin, however, was her great escape as she could make a reality with him that didn't involve aliens or death or glassing of planets. Theirs was a small world with two people learning how to be husband and wife, each trying to excel at their respective jobs.

"Audrey, I have to down to viewing deck 4 to get started." Justin calmly stated from the other side of the luminescent shower curtain. Audrey poked her head around one side of the curtain and gave him a quick but tender kiss. "Be careful, I love you."

"I love you." The door slid closed behind Justin with a slight rush of air as he made his way to the elevator at the other end of the lengthy hallway. The platforms were of a most bland color. A flat grey with the occasional black indicators signifying directions to the nearest utility, while every 50 feet were holopanels tied with the platform's courtesy AI, Chelsey.

She was a wiry build with straight sandy-blonde hair that passed her shoulders and settled on her middle back. She spoke with a soft British accent and was available to help people with locations and acquiring transport around and off the station.

Justin walked passed the AI and reached the elevator, pushing the button for the 4th floor and the doors closed. He rested against the rear of the elevator as it started its 10-floor descent into the mess hall portion of the Malta.

He thought of how he disliked being in space, and wished he and Audrey could return to Earth. They had a nice little spot just outside of Boulder, Colorado with a small private lake.

It was a good location, within an easy drive to her news service's location in Denver, and mostly his jobs with the Corp of Engineers had him traveling to different installations to check on a safety concern or mechanical/architectural project. Unlike the 20th and 21st century Corp of engineers, the UNSC had broadened their areas of expertise to include many types of structural projects, with their new primary focus being structures in outer space.

Such was the case with the Malta. There were some concerns with the rigidity of the viewing deck on the 4th floor, just outside the mess hall. He was joining some other team members to analyze the structural integrity of all the weld points and braces, as well as the condition of the materials used.

"I wonder if the UNSC will ever go with something other than the lowest bidder." Justin mumbled under his breath, but he knew that wouldn't happen.

Nope, once again it would be up to Justin Madison and his team to try to

fix the problems created from someone who got in over their head bidding on a military contract. He almost felt some bravado in the thought, like he was somehow performing the duties of the Spartans or some other valiant force, but he knew that instead he was just cleaning up someone else's mess.

He was glad that Audrey had managed to make it onto the Malta. She was originally planned to be aboard the Athens but managed to get in a transfer when she learned that Justin would be aboard as well. It was nice to have her here with him as he hated their times apart, but with all the new areas of platform development, they were becoming more frequent.

The elevator came to a cautious stop and the doors parted with a chime. Outside the doorways waiting for him were Bob Salinger, Architectural Engineer, Tom Skite, Mechanical Engineer and Davis Lee, also an ME. They all patiently sipped down coffee in the adjoining mess hall as they waited for Justin to meet up with them.

"That little girl still keeping you up at night?" Bob commented with a smirk on his face, but Justin seemed distracted.

"No, I have just had some restless nights". Justin took an extra hardhat from Davis and began adjusting it for his head

"I don't blame you. I would have restless nights with a woman like that too." Justin chose to ignore the comment. These guys were his good friends, albeit brash at times.

"Alright guys, chug down those Joe's and let's get to work. There will probably be a lot of people in her tomorrow watching the Spartan's return from the ringworld. I would hate to have them suddenly intrude on the floor below."

With that, the crew tossed their coffee's into the trash and followed behind, eagerly awaiting the next day's events.


	2. Chapter 2 Its a dirty job

Notes: I know this story is a slow starter, but hang in there. Over the next few chapters we will see the arrival of the covenant and the battle will begin. Thanks to all the reviewers so far and if you have any suggestions on my writing style/characters please feel free to share with me.

It's a dirty job…

_November 1st, 2552 11:35 AM _

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Level 4 Aft - Mess Hall A_

Justin slid his hand along the underside of the slightly discontinuous truss as he slowly shook his head

"We found another one." Justin sighed as he slightly faced Davis. They had so far encountered 5 infractions on 3 different metal support beams.

"I am surprised this thing hasn't taken a tumble yet. I can't believe some dumbass engineer would not take into account the pull of the gravitational magnetic fields these platforms generate." Bob was obviously agitated at someone's possible perilous oversight, but Justin was more of a mindset to just get it fixed so they could be freed up the next day before heading back home.

"Has the MSAC unit arrived yet?" Justin had not really wanted to use the awkward suit if it wasn't needed, but such a job as this practically begged for it.

"You mean the hobbit?" Tom's inquiry both made Justin both smile and sigh at the same time.

Audrey always had a way with names. The little pet names she had given to him when they dated, and then one day she had joined him on a similar job inside the Cairo.

Seeing the dual antennas to either side of the bulky suit's head was indeed indicative of some mythical troll-like creature's pointy ears, but it would take someone as interested in (or perhaps crazy about) history as Audrey to make such a reference.

At the time she had even needed to explain to the group what the hobbits were along with other details of J.R.R. Tolkien's stories. Justin thought that he would like to read them at some point but just had not found the time to do so yet.

"The unit was supposed to be here this morning, but as usual the carrier service was delayed trying to lift off. They were saying it should be here early this afternoon, but could be longer."

Tom knew that Justin would hate the delay, and he himself was eager to get this over with. He never liked being in outer space. Even though the locations were deemed safe by all kinds of people on Earth, Tom felt they were all just a few less rivets away from falling apart.

"Then until it gets here I want signs posted to form a line 20 feet back from the edge. We need to make sure that the people do not walk out past the main support columns." Justin motioned toward the 3' diameter pillars that were in his mind the one thing that was actually safe about this viewing deck.

"No problem boss." Davis quipped. "I'll go up there and cording off the section and post a couple of signs."

"Make sure that it is understood that NO ONE goes out on the outer edge of it until we get it fixed." The others gave Justin a nod and went to help Tom as Justin got out his chatter and punched a few buttons, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.

"Hey babe, got some news for you down here"

"Yeah, we are going to have to reroute some of the onlookers to the other mess halls or maybe.."

"A couple of the conference forward lecture halls? That should do fine. You're the best"

The chatter squawked as he ended the conversation with Audrey. It might be possible to get the repairs done before the next day, but he would rather just steer people clear of the area.

"Alright, we got the area corded off and signs up. Now we just have to wait on the damn freight service to bring us our toy." Bob shouted from the deck above.

His New York accent was always a source of amusement for Justin, and his lack of a softer speaking voice always made sure you knew he was there.

"And since the slave driver we work for hasn't blessed us with lunch yet I am taking it upon myself to chat up the luscious redhead at the serving line."

Justin could almost feel the death ray he was sure was emanating from the young lady's eyes from the floor below. There is no way she couldn't have heard him, and Justin was sure they were now destined to have their food altered or augmented in some unpleasant way by the food staff.

As Justin topped the twisted staircase leading into the main serving area of the mess hall, he was somewhat surprised to see the redheaded girl actually talking to Bob. Bob wasn't an ogre by any means, and apparently he had found favor with the woman despite having no apparent manners of speaking.

"I get off at 8 by the way.." Bob walked triumphantly toward Justin, slowing long enough to whisper in Justin's ear.

"I still got it and tonight I am going to give it to her."

Justin felt a sort of remorse for the green-eyed girl behind the counter. She didn't know what had just hit her, and probably wouldn't until after Bob had moved on to the next project the team was assigned to.

Bob was definitely the womanizer of the group; a part of him that Justin hated, but lived with as some of Bob's other attributes such as loyalty had won him Justin's admiration.

"What can I get for you sir?" The girl softly stated from the other side of the Plexiglas-covered counter.

Justin wanted to tell her she should get the hell away from Bob, as he looked curiously at her name tag.

"Brittany, just give me a #3, with a glass of water"

"Alright, that is a double hamburger with potato sticks and a water, will there be anything else?"

"No, that will be all." Justin fumbled at getting his wallet out as she added up his total.

After paying for their meals, they all sat at a table about 10 feet from the corded off area, looked out across the area below, and through the big multi-ply polymer-based windows at the image of home, the Earth.

"I never get tired of seeing it this way, but I would rather be ground-side." Tom was obviously impressed with the view, although Justin figured he had probably seen it dozens of times in the last few years.

Justin's chatter suddenly erupted in a way he had not heard before, but instantly recognized the pattern. Apparently Audrey had programmed in the little ditty she had been humming in the bathroom this morning.

The other guys looked at Justin, clearly already convinced he had not been the one to program the song.

"Man I cannot begin to understand how whipped you are." Bob remarked as Tom and Davis smirked.

"Shut up and enjoy the view"


	3. Chapter 3 Well, its not Mjolnir

Notes: This chapter will introduce the "Hobbit". In case you are wondering, MSAC stands for Mobile Suspension and Carry. Hope you have enjoyed the story thus far and please feel free to comment.

Well, its not Mjolnir…

_November 1st, 2552 2:43 PM _

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Level 4 Aft - Mess Hall A_

"Someone call for an oversized hunk of junk?" Justin and the team swung around in the direction of the voice coming from the service elevator at the opposite end of the room.

The broad figure and short pepper hair of the freight currier would seem to indicate he was military, an observation seemingly backed up by his ability to bark across an expanse of space.

"Yeah, just drop it any where." Justin really didn't figure the man would want to take it much further. Although it was on a come-along dolly, the 1250lb suit didn't make for the easiest of traveling buddies.

After signing for the unit, Justin began elevating it so it stood erect. The Hobbit was a menacing size, although oddly shaped. Its body was wide, approximately adding a foot onto each side of Justin's toned frame.

Justin wasn't much for the workout, eat right philosophy, but years of having to deal with heavy objects like support beams and tools necessary to connect them had enabled him to have quite a bit of strength.

Still, the MSAC seemed to dwarf his stature, standing almost a whole two feet taller than him. A clear multi-ply polymer similar to what the stations used running down the first foot and a half, giving its operator a nice one-hundred and twenty degree field of view thanks its flanking design.

Justin slid his ID card into a small slot in the back of the hobbit, and with a hiss of pressurized gas, the back shoulder blades and midsection parted, with the inside of the legs splitting and opening like a half-circular door.

Having a look inside the suit revealed a lining of hydrostatic fluid pockets that were meant to provide cushioning to the pilot in case of accidental fall or if struck by a falling object.

There was a chin stick that allowed the pilot to activate comm systems as well as open the suit up when they were ready to depart. There were also life support systems with a straw to re-hydrate from the MSAC's internal electrolyte-charged liquid.

Justin stepped into the suit and pressed the activation button on the chin console. The leg compartments closed around his and expanded the hydrostatic fluid in those areas to conform around his lower appendages.

He snaked each arm into the suit's massive hydraulic-actuated arms and gripped the bicycle-style handgrips in each arms as he brought them to bear. Upon pressing the last button, the rear panels closed and fluid molded itself around his body as the HUD was activated, displaying the various sensors and gauges, which told the Hobbit's story.

This particular MSAC unit was one of the first to be refitted with a basic shield generator which enveloped the torso and legs area of the body. This was requested of all new units after several serious accidents had occurred and left the operators either incapacitated or dead.

The MSAC's shielding was to be based off of early shield technology which preceded the Mark V's shielding. The shielding would never stand up in combat against the Covenant, but for civilian use such as the Hobbit's labor it had so far proven beneficial.

Augmenting the shield itself was 2 inch thick Titanium-A armor plating, with that extending an extra half-inch in the unshielded arm regions. Early testing with the shielding had proven that the arms could not function and hold objects well with its four opposing forks which made up its fingers, so the decision was made to instead make the armor thicker to compensate.

The last edition to the MSAC unit's toolkit, however, had been the most helpful upgrade to date. Current-carrying wire had been introduced at the base of the hands and the forks which could allow a sort of directed magnetism.

The relative position of the forks to each other could adjust the strength of the magnetic field, and a flick of a switch in either arm module could reverse the polarity of the field.

This could allow the MSAC to hoist and suspend heavy items into the air for several feet above its arm length, effectively allowing the unit to be a support column for a structure the crew might be working on.

It also made sure that anything the Hobbit had in its hands would not slip, or it could magnetically grab an object that had floated away from it in space.

This functionality had even saved Justin's life before when his tether line on the outside of the Cairo had snapped and he started free-floating away from the platform. He had managed to latch onto one of the Comm relay towers that jetted out from the station and pulled himself back to safety, so he was grateful to this seemingly minor upgrade.

_November 1st, 2552 4:18 PM_

Justin used the Hobbit to hold the massive section of latticework in place as the team finished cutting the weakening support beam loose with their Harning Torches, then slipped the small incendiary guns along with their hoses back onto each of their respective backpacks.

The support beam made a loud but muffled thud as it hit the carpeted floor below, and Bob, Tom and Davis all jointly hefted one end of the new support beam up to the proper connection point. They then used their torches at a lower setting to begin to weld the new piece in place.

Once they had completed that end, they each descended their respective scaffolding and got to work on welding it to the mount points on the floor.

"You know, you guys could hurry it a little." Justin's arms were becoming fatigued from the repetitive activity of keeping them held up.

"He almost made it all the way through without complaining." Tom quipped

"I don't see any of you volunteering to wear this trash can."

Justin slowly lowered his arms back down after the last weld had been made, the hydraulic cylinders commanding each arm slowly gliding down to a soft thump as the shaft reconnected with the sleeve.

"Good job guys. Now let's knock off and get some rest for the festivities tomorrow." Justin pressed the release button with his chin, and the compartments of the MSAC opened again showing Justin's sweat-stained clothes.

"Jesus Justin, I think you need some coolant in that thing.. Or maybe just a shower." Justin gave Bob a one-fingered salute as they all started heading back to the elevator.

Bob gave a wink and making a kissing motion toward Brittany as they started to walk by, as the young redheaded server tried not to let her face and hair match colors.

_November 1st, 2552 9:28 PM_

Having finished their dinner and continuing to unwind, Justin flipped through the channels looking for anything not related to the fall of Reach to hopefully put his mind at ease and avoid another nightmare.

"Baby, is something bothering you?" Audrey's query broke his channel surfing as he looked over at her. She was sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest, her head resting on her folded arms atop her knees.

Justin paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, and let out a sigh. He then began telling her about the dreams he had been having. How he would see her falling away from him, and not be able to save her.

"I just don't understand it. Everyone else seems to be preoccupied with the Covenant and the destruction they have been causing, but I cannot get the image of you falling out of my head, and I hate it."

Audrey smiled a sleepy smile and put her head on Justin's shoulder. She began to rub her hand softly across his chest, almost relieved it hadn't been something more serious.

"You know I'm not going anywhere. As long as I don't go venturing around outside, then I will be fine." Audrey's attempt at lightening up the thoughts seemed to fall on deaf ears with Justin.

She couldn't understand why this would bother him so much, but it was reassuring to her that he was troubled at the thought. She leaned her head around to give him a kiss. "I love you." Her eyes peering into his as she slowly drew back.

Justin then wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss, as the two felt a passion igniting within them. Maybe Bob was right about his restless nights.


	4. Chapter 4 Welcome Back?

Notes: Thanks again to everyone reading! I appreciate the reviews I have gotten thus far and hope to see more of your opinions! Don't worry, the boring stuff is almost over and by the end of this (longer) chapter the fun will start. Or will it?

Welcome back?

_November 2nd, 2552 7:29 AM _

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Deck C Room 298_

Justin sat up in his bed and looked around, wondering if he had actually made it through the night without the dream. Looking over at the clock gave him the answer he was hoping for. For the first time in a week his sleep had been peaceful, as if everything was once again at peace within his soul.

Audrey was not in the room. As he was clearing his eyes the thought almost frightened him, until he remembered she had to leave early to oversee some of the last minute preparations before the Spartan returned.

They had estimated that his return would be sometime around 9:30, which gave Justin an hour or so to be lazy, but he instead decided to get out of bed and get some breakfast.

_8:24 AM_

Justin looked over the mess they called a breakfast buffet, with eggs laying on sausage and other items mixed together by careless marines who had since left the mess hall in order to get their Sunday best on for the ceremony.

He also noticed the peculiar absence of a little red-headed girl behind the counter, and sighed in defeat at the thought of Bob doing his best to get her smock off. The lady currently behind the counter could be considered anything but eye candy, not that Justin really cared.

After paying for his food he sat down in relative quietness, the few sounds of air purification and other life support systems humming throughout the Malta's structure always somehow reminded Justin how frail of a contraption these platforms were. With all of their technology and firepower, a breach in the hull could potentially allow the simple vacuum of space to literally tear it apart from the inside out.

Justin peered over his coffee cup as the bubbly red head from the day before power-walked over to the counter, finishing up tying her apron around her as she rounded the corner of the buffet table. Brittany was greeted by the other server, who apparently was not impressed that the younger girl was late.

The older lady proceeded to verbally chastise the girl, finishing off with the classic "don't let it happen again" statement. Brittany calmly but firmly replied that she was sorry, then went about straightening the self-serve area.

She cast a glance toward Justin, acknowledging that she knew he and Bob were friends, and he returned a half-hearted smile as he raised his cup toward her in a toasting gesture.

_9:12 AM_

Justin pressed the close button with his chin and the Hobbit's rear panels closed with a lone hiss of rushing air as the air inside pressurized and the hydrostatic gel formed to his body. He had decided that instead of waiting on the delivery boys to come pick it up he would take it down to shipping before any jarheads tried to write any "for a good time call" slogans or other epithets along its armor.

The pressure sensors arrayed all throughout the legs responded in kind to his own leg movements, and the stocky-looking MSAC began walking.

It wasn't quite the neural interface that he had read about in the Spartan specifications, but Justin believed that to be a good thing as this simple suit didn't require him to undergo any risky procedures in order to use it. Justin had always hated the idea of being cut into, so he was glad that he was able to use what he had been given at birth to pilot it.

Justin's chatter let out a chirp and he interfaced with it using the Hobbit's Comm channel. Audrey's voice filled the area about his head.

"_Hey babe."_

"_Hey hun, just wanted to call you. I am bored at the moment. We have finished up all our pre-ceremony checks and are hanging out until the hero of the hour shows up. What are you up to?"_

"_I just figured I would send this hunk of metal en route to our next job south of Seattle. Maybe if I get it to shipping early enough it might actually arrive on time."_

"_Well try to hurry, we have been notified that he will be here in about 20 more minutes."_

"_Don't worry, once I get down there I should have a monitor to watch it on, assuming Firefly's employee's did their jobs right."_

"_You are going to pay for that one when I see you mister."_

"_Looking forward to it babe."_

Justin flipped off the private Comm and opened up his outer one as he approached the entrance to the cargo elevator. He pressed the down arrow which proceeded to glow a neon green color, and heard the echoes of cable movement coming from the other side of the oversized door.

He stepped in, and the doors were about to shut when Bob and Tom came running through the door. It was obvious they had sprinted the length of the mess hall, as their breathing was so labored Justin thought they might pass out.

"_Now I see why you guys never joined the UNSC."_

_9:26 AM_

The ride down was filled with Bob's recount of last night's events, which was ended with only a kiss. Justin thought this was odd, usually even if Bob didn't get into bed with a girl he would tell them he did anyway. Something seemed different about Bob's storytelling as well.

Could it be that Bob may have met his match the night before? Could he actually have feelings towards a girl other than the empty satisfaction a one-night stand brought him?

This thought was soon replaced with awe as the 3 of them stepped out of the elevator and began their pilgrimage across the platform's main cargo hold. Inside the massive room sat most of the pride of the UNSC's arsenal. To one side was a plethora of Scorpion Tanks and Warthogs of differing variations sat on the other.

The path between them was long and wide, easily wide enough to fit 2 scorpions side-by-side. Near the far end of the room was easily 50 or more Pelican troop carriers which then gave way to what seemed endless rows of Skyhawk fighters and Longsword interceptors.

All the aircraft were turned to face the massive exit port at the far end of the cargo hold in case of a need for a quick exit. The positioning of the Pelicans leant them to being able to attach their armored passengers quickly under their bellies.

A rather large gondola descended in front of them, and opened its doors for them to board. Justin was glad it was here, as the walk would have surely taken a good portion of an hour to complete.

_9:33 AM_

The holopanels on the walls adjacent to Justin flickered on with revelrous music seeming to blare out of thin air. The double "F" logo of the FireFly news service splashed onto the screen, followed by the voice of the female reporter assigned to cover the event.

"_This is Zora Mathers reporting for FireFly. Today is a great day for UNSC's greatest warrior, Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117. He is returning home from a major victory over Covenant forces on a yet unidentified world, overcoming overwhelming odds to decimate many of the enemies' soldiers." _

The reporter continued on as the doors to the tram opened to reveal the supersoldier. His green armor and stature was menacing even on TV.

"_The soldier you see here has gotten somewhat of a makeover, officials telling this reporter that the Spartan has received new armor with various improvements, but did not comment on what those upgrades actually were. That notwithstanding, it is hard to believe they could improve over the effectiveness these soldiers already possess. Standing alongside the hero is another hero in his own right, Sergeant…"_

The sound from the holopanels was interrupted by his chatter suddenly sounding off. He answered the call only to hear a seemingly terrified Audrey on the other end.

"_Justin, the Covenant are here! My God they have found Earth! Ships are exiting slipspace!"_

Justin's stunned gaze turned back to the holopanels as the story was cut short and replaced with a forward view from the Cairo. The blips were small, but the ships were there. The day they had all dreaded was here, and now there would be no more running, no more hiding.

"_Audrey, where are you?"_

"_I am in the main communications room, level J. We are next to the medical bay on this level."_

"_We are heading up to the cafeteria now, meet me just outside the elevator."_

Justin cut the Comm connection and felt a chill run through the now suddenly small gondola. He then realized he had left his Comm channel open and both Tom and Bob had also been privy to the information.

"Dear God, what are we going to do?" Tom's words sounded like he didn't even know he was saying them. He was clearly on the verge of panic.

"I tell you what we do, we get the hell off this boat." Bob's words in contrast were more together, and Justin knew that he could at least count on him to keep it together, for now.

Justin pressed the emergency stopped button, and the gondola ceased its forward motion, then started lowering itself to the floor at a pace that seemed mind-numbingly slow to be associated with the title of "emergency".

The doors parted as they connected with the ground, and were greeted hastily by a couple of soldiers as they exited. The two PFC's looked at the trio exiting the gondola, slightly humored with the site of the troll-like stature of the MSAC.

"You getting out of that trash can?" The slim but taller soldier questioned as the station-wide intercom erupted.

"_Boarding craft inbound, prepare to repel boarders."_

"Shit, sounds like we've got company. You better get out of that metal coffin and find some firepower. You didn't hear it from us, but there is a weapons cache in the small room to your left. " The younger, thicker marine yelled as they exited through a door to the right of the cargo elevator door.

Justin pondered this for a moment, but realized that he would be vulnerable without the Hobbit's protection, so decided to instead stay inside it. He turned to the others and started barking orders.

"_Alright, we are going to get some guns and then get off this bird. Stay away from anything that explodes, because if we have to fight it will probably be up close. Think shotguns and auto's, maybe even a pistol. Life pods are spread throughout the platform so there shouldn't be a problem finding them. We may can call on the courtesy AI to help you get to them, but I am going to need to get to Audrey. I want you guys to get to the first pod we can find and get the hell out of here, and I will join up with you on the surface."_

Justin noticed Bob's thoughts racing and looking as though he hadn't heard a thing that he had just said.

"_Problem Bob?"_

"Its Brittany, I need to get to her." Bob stated abruptly, not expecting to get any recognition from the statement.

"_Fine, we don't have a way to get in touch with her, but we will need to pass through the mess hall in order to meet up with Audrey. We will pick her up if she is there as well."_

The trio stepped back into the cargo elevator, and Bob pressed a button and the oversized doors began to close. As they did they looked out across the cargo hold, which was now looking more like an anthill that had been disturbed as soldiers ran around prepping Longswords and Skyhawks for intercept runs.

Some of them had already taken off, one or two succumbing to plasma bolts before they could completely break away from the platform. The doors finished their sequence, and extra gravity was felt as the elevator began its labored climb toward the mess hall entrance.

The elevator had seemed much faster before, and now they each awaited anxiously, looking at the numbers on the digital display slowly click off as they passed one floor after another.

Slight vibrations shook the elevator as the MAC guns began their barrage on the oncoming threat, and Justin hoped it would be enough to put them down, although he knew they had failed to protect Reach.

"_OK guys, let's make a small formation with you two to either side of me. Try to stay together to make sure you two don't end up shooting each other and hopefully I can draw their fire a bit so you can mop them up."_

Justin didn't much like the idea of being the decoy, but hopefully they would make it through. Hopefully the marines had been able to keep them at bay so they could quickly find an escape pod and get off the platform and down to Earth…

Justin's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden ding of the elevator signaling them they had reached their destination. The doors began to part and Justin's eyes started scanning the room but did not see anything, but it was what caught his ears that made him sick to his stomach…

"Wort…."


	5. Chapter 5 Food Fight!

Notes: Thanks to all of you who are continuing to read my story. Hopefully now that the fighting is starting I will tend to get more reviews.. ;)

Food Fight!

_November 2nd, 2552 10:01 AM _

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Level 4 Aft - Mess Hall A_

Shots rang out as the doors finally ended their travel and the whole scene came into view. Justin noticed a small platoon of marines on top of the viewing deck, opening fire on the Covenant coming in from some strange whole made into the large viewing window.

He also noticed Brittany and the other lady he assumed to be her manager taking refuge behind the buffet serving tables. The marines were motioning for the two to make a quick exit, but they seemed to be frozen with fear, simply giving the marines a defiant head shake with each prompting.

Bob whispered as he moved out toward the room "I've got to get to her", but Justin grabbed him by the arm with the Hobbit's forks and held him at bay.

"You'll never make it across there. The Covenant haven't taken notice of us yet, so I say we flank to their side and help the marines take them out. Then we can get up there and rendezvous with the others."

Bob looked to Justin with both bewilderment and slight annoyance. Justin had always been their supervisor on projects, and was good at leading a team, but since the Covenant showed up there seemed to be a change within his demeanor.

Whereas there had been an easygoing and jovial aspect to his commands, now there was a coldness and decisiveness that almost demanded compliance.

But did he really know anything about combat? They had both had some minimal experience with marksmanship and small arms training. Hell, since the Covenant showed up if you were in the UNSC you were trained to shoot something.

A sudden scream interrupted Bob's train of thought as he looked in time to see one of the soldiers on the balcony writhing in pain; a blood gushing whole appearing where his arm should have been. The soldier then crumbled under his own weight, and his gun fired one last round in defiance as his head met with the floor.

Justin had seen the whole thing, however. The pinkish-purple needler rounds had arced gracefully through the air. Had it not been for their lethality it would have been a pleasant site to see them whisk their way through the air, but now it was just a feeling of dread at possibly incurring the same fate.

Justin pushed forward with his legs and began to gain speed as he led the other two men from his crew toward the covenant flank. There were 5 of them, 4 of the small grunts surrounding a larger red armored elite.

Justin had done a bit of reading on the suspected Covenant ranks and what the armor colors signified, but for the moment he couldn't remember any of it. His heart was beating faster than he thought possible and he was trying to get his breathing under control as they neared a large column that would provide them cover to fire from.

Justin slowed down to a cautious walk as Tom and Bob threw their backs against the column, grateful the column was large enough to conceal their approach thus far.

"Alright, I am going to start toward them and draw their fire. You two concentrate on the elite to wear down his…"

"This is Sergeant Damon Watkins to MSAC operator, do you copy?" The Sergeant's voice both surprised and soothed Justin's nerves a bit, as now Justin had a way to communicate his plan to the marines.

"Yes Sergeant, I read you. I am glad you guys are up there as we are down here to give assistance."

"Good, your guys have a good flank on the enemy, so prepare to open fire and we should be able to…" "Grenade!"

Justin watched in horror as an explosion ripped through the small squad of marines, casting parts of them across the balcony and into the kitchen and dining area below.

That horror quickly turned to rage as Justin heard what he could have sworn was the Elite laughing.

"Shoot those bastards!" Fire erupted from behind the column as Tom and Bob opened up with their MA5B assault rifles. Justin rounded the curvature of the large simulated-stone column and headed for the small group of combatants.

The elite roared as his shields began to flicker and then disappeared, then several rounds from each of the rifles penetrated his head and chest, cordially exploding holes in both places as the elite fell lifelessly backwards.

By now Justin was on top of the grunts, and using the massive strength of the Hobbit, dealt a crushing blow to the top of the first one's head. His shield began to dissipate as plasma shots streamed across his torso at point blank range.

He quickly grabbed the small grunt up in each arm and heard its bones cracking as the Hobbit's claws clamped closer together, until they connected and the creature ceased to move.

Justin then realized he had spent too long dealing with the creature and spun around only to see the bodies of the other grunts lying in pools of their own light-bluish blood. His shields flickered for a second and then started recharging at an agonizing pace.

"Nice work guys, let's get up there and see if any of those marines survived." Justin had already started making his way toward the stairs, and Bob followed close behind.

Tom, however, simply stared at the mess they had created. He had never wanted to kill anything before in his life, yet he had just gunned down two of humanities' most hated enemies. He felt it odd that he didn't seem to feel any remorse for what he had done, that the creatures before him had no significance with the universe other than to die for the sins they had executed against humanity.

A sudden movement caught Tom's attention. He studied it quizzically as the elite started shuffling around a bit. It was in the last throws of death; with its body still clinging to any spec of life it had, trying to keep it from departing.

A muffled click caught Tom's attention as a plasma grenade bonded itself with the now dead elite's hand, and Tom threw up his arms to shield his face as the super hot wave of plasma rushed over him, disintegrating flesh and charring the bones beneath. The concussion lifted Tom's lifeless body and tossed it several feet backwards as his head slammed in to the column that had recently been their protection and he crumpled onto the floor.

Justin and Bob both turned back in the direction of the explosion and then began rushing back to the floor in the vain hope of saving Tom's life. What was left of him laid unnaturally on the floor, and the smell of burning flesh made Bob want to throw up.

Tears welled up in Justin's eyes for his fallen friend that he felt he had known all his life. They had met in engineering college and had always been competitive with their grades and achievements, with Justin winning out in the end, as he became Tom's supervisor in the Corp.

"Justin, you guys copy?" Davis's voice was rough from too many years of smoking, which oddly enough he had decided to quit just before this assignment. Justin assumed that when the news of the Covenant arrival reached Davis' ears, however, that all bets were off.

"Davis, the bastards got Tom." There was a long pause as the words sank into Davis and began ripping at his heart. Davis despite his rough, often-unshaven exterior was a caring person, who had once spent twelve hours digging what was left of Justin's crew out from a retaining wall collapse at a previous job site. Had it not been for his determination Justin himself might not have made it.

"I can't believe he's gone." Davis' words were filled with hurt, but he refocused himself.

"I have gained access to some firepower up in the armory. The marines are holding the Covenant at bay so I should be able to make my way down and meet up with you guys to help take some of the assholes out."

"Roger that, Audrey is…" "Shit" Justin could not believe that he hadn't noticed the lack of contact with her since her warning of the Covenant earlier. He interfaced the Hobbit with his chatter and opened the call.

"_Audrey, are you there?"_

"_AUDREY, ARE YOU THERE?"_

"_Answer me, WHERE ARE YOU?"_

The chatter had some brief interference as he heard Audrey's muffled voice answer his query.

"Justin, there are Covenant all on this floor. There are marines fighting them, but I don't know how much longer they can hold out, the Covenant just keep coming." Audrey's voice was one of desperation that made Justin fearful as well. He didn't want to lose Audrey too. "I am still in the Comm room with the other crew.

"Ok, stay held up in the room and we will come to you. I'll fight every last damn Covenant on this ship to get to you.

"I love you Justin."

"I love you Audrey."

"You copy that Davis?" Justin disconnected the chatter and turned his attention back to the voice on the other end of the Comm system.

"Got it chief, I am a few floors up from you on level 8, so I will wait by the elevator and hitch a ride up to Level J with you. I have also been informed there are some escape pods on that level as well."

"Copy that, we will meet you on 8."

Justin closed his Comm and noticed Bob had made his way up into the cafeteria area. "Brittany, are you here?" Bob repeated the phrase as he made his way through the swinging doors used to bring refills to the buffet table.

Bob then approached some stainless steel cabinets near the rear of the kitchen when he heard a slight shuffling sound coming from behind one of the cabinet's lower doors. Cautiously he leveled the MA5B he had been carrying on his shoulder at the door as he inched his way closer.

"Brittany?" Bob tried keeping his soft voice from shaking as he reached out to grab the vertical unpolished handle attached to the door. He then yanked the door open as he jumped back, keeping the rifle trained on the opening the door produced.

Inside was a site that made Bob feel sorry for the young girl. Brittany was obviously near some state of shock, with both her hands grasping a meat cleaver out in front of her body. It was pretty apparent she wouldn't have been a threat to anyone, however, as the girl was clearly scared out of her mind.

Slowly Bob reached out his hand and took possession of the cleaver, gently pulling it free of Brittany's clutches. He then laid it on the floor and returned his hand to her, offering to pull her from her self-induced holding cell.

Nervously Brittany took Bob's hand, and then fell into his arms as she tried to stand. Bob didn't know how long she had been in there, but he imagined from the position she had been curled up in that her legs would have to be asleep.

"Bob, we have to go, now." Justin's voice blared over his external speakers as he stood halfway through the swinging door. Bob scooped Brittany up into his arms and hastily walked out of the kitchen and joined with Justin at the elevator just as it announced its arrival.

The ride up was brief but reflective, as the trio gathered their nerves and prepared to face the fight ahead. The elevator's holopanels now displayed the official FF logo of the Firefly newswire instead of the scene of celebration that they had previously displayed.

There were a few intermittent shutters within the elevator as the MAC canon continued to unload its arsenal toward the Covenant fleet, which was awkwardly reassuring that the station was still in the fight, and hadn't been taken over by Covenant forces.

Davis had joined them in the elevator, bringing with him a pair of M7 submachine guns. He also had an M6C pistol tucked into the back of his pants, but Justin hoped they would get to the escape pods before they would need to use any of them.

They all seemed to be focusing on the digital floor readout as the letter J illuminated and began flashing, followed by a short ding and the sound of air escaping as the doors vertically parted.

The elevator exited into a side hallway that that the team followed to the right. They quickly came upon an intersection and the team slowed to a halt. Justin and the others could just make out what sounded like a high-pitched squawking sound coming from the hallway to the right.

Justin also noticed on the floor of the hallway there was a red arrow pointing away from them with "Medical Bay 6" stenciled into it. Justin leaned closer to Bob and whispered in the lowest voice he could, hoping the external speakers wouldn't amplify his voice enough to give away their position.

"Take a peek around the corner to the right and see what's down there." Bob slid quietly over to the wall, planting his back firmly against it. As he peered around the edge, he could see two creatures with bird-like features to their heads. He assumed these to be the Jackals he had heard about. They appeared to have shields being held in one hand and a small gun in the other.

"We have two jackals at the other end of the hall, it looks like they have been put on guard duty of some sort." In the distance to the left Justin could hear gunfire, and was glad to know there were still marines fighting on this level. Hopefully they still had a chance to get to Audrey and get out.

"Ok, I am going to step into the hallway first. You two set up cover fire from the edge of the wall, and Brittany, you stay here out of site until we get that hall cleared." Brittany nodded her head in approval, as she was in no hurry to throw herself into the line of fire.

Justin quickly stepped out into the middle of the hallway but was quickly greeted with something he hadn't expected. The two jackals were now facing them, but along side them were two grunts as well. The jackal's plasma pistols glowed a brilliant green as their charges built up, getting ready to slam into anything that was stupid enough to get in front of them.

"Open fire!" Justin yelled and Bob and Davis opened up from behind the corner of the hallway Justin was just in. There was no time for Justin to get out of the way, however, as the two streaming masses of plasma left the Jackal's pistols and began elegantly streaming toward the MSAC.

Justin threw the Hobbit's arms up to shield the view plate and his face, but quickly realized this was a bad move as he remembered the arms did not have the shielding that the torso possessed. He watched helplessly as the plasma raced toward him, but them saw something odd.

As the plasma shots got within a few feet of Justin, their trajectory suddenly changed and they each flew to either side of him, slamming into and then melting sections of wall.

Although Justin was puzzled at what just happened, he was pleased to see the grunts were now put down and one of the Jackals recoiling from a shot that impacted his forehead and then creating a purple mess on the floor behind it.

The other jackal bent over with its head covered by its arms and made its way around the next corner. Justin assumed it was falling back to some secondary position and that there would probably be more to fight. He quickly took off after the creature, with the others in his team running behind.

Justin didn't know why he was abandoning caution, but he had a feeling that this Jackal's new location wouldn't present a problem to him. Perhaps it was his newfound confidence at whatever just happened with the plasma shots. Whatever it was, that Jackal was about to die by his hands.

Justin turned the corner and noticed the jackal in a prone position about 10 feet from him, its pistol charged once more and its body squarely behind its bluish shield. The Jackal released the deadly blast from its pistol and Justin swung the hobbit's left arm in an arc toward the oncoming shot.

He didn't know the purpose of the maneuver or even why it should accomplish anything, but he was once again surprised as this time the plasma's trajectory curved up and to the left, connecting with the ceiling overhead.

Justin ran slightly past the Jackal's shield and as he did he reached out and grabbed the creature's left arm and spun around, tossing it into the wall to the right. The sickening sounds of the Jackal's neck breaking echoed down the reverberant halls as it lay there motionless, seemingly frozen in time as the blood coming from its head made a sort of grotesque adhesive between it and the wall.

Shots suddenly rang out from behind him as Justin turned just in time to see something moving a few feet in front of him, but couldn't decide on what he was actually looking at. It was as if the air itself was moving in front of him. Suddenly from the movement in front of him came a guttural snarl followed by a couple of barking "worts". Justin then was bewildered as an object resembling a dual-bladed sword beaming with a purplish translucent glow suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Justin's shock soon turned into fear as the blade started toward him. The barrage of bullets from his companion's assault and submachine guns were connecting, and the elite's camo dissipated revealing the towering creature as it rushed toward the small group.

As it reached Justin, it thrust the sword high in the air and began to come down in an arc laced with the beast's monstrous strength. Acting out of defense, Justin quickly extended up the Hobbit's right arm to catch the elite's hand as it was preparing to follow through with the deadly blow.

As the elite's plasma sword neared the Hobbit's hand, however, the weapon suddenly faded and where there was once the most feared of all the Covenant's handheld arsenal, now there was only the handle tightly gripped within the elite's hand.

The impact of the elite's swing connecting with the Hobbit's hand caused the entire suit to shake, but the hydraulics held it from going any further. Justin quickly closed the forks around the beast's hand tight enough that the sound of bones being broken once again echoed, this time being joined in augmented harmony with the elite's growls of pain.

Bob and Davis frantically searched for a spot to open up on the elite, but could not find an opening around or above the MSAC's bulky design. The elite it was wrestling with was hunkered down, putting all its might into trying to freeing itself from the Hobbit's grip, to no avail.

Justin quickly closed the forks on the MSAC's left hand and with the rage of what the last elite had done to Tom, thrust it forward into the elite's chest cavity. As soon as the entry was made, Justin opened the Hobbit's hand, expanding the forks inside the elite's chest, tearing muscle away from bone and shredding the majority of vital organs its chest contained.

The elite fought to let out another roar of pain, but all that could be heard was the gurgling sound of it drowning in its own blood as life quickly faded from its eyes.

The death of this creature or ten thousand more like it wouldn't bring Tom back, and Justin knew it. He had to calm himself and stay focused if they were to all stay alive, get Audrey and get off the platform.

The team stopped in front of the door marked "Communications". Justin was apprehensive as he approached the door.

_Would Audrey and her crew still be alive?_

The others started collecting ammunition from soldiers that had fallen apparently attempting to guard the Comm room. There were several types of all Covenant species' bodies littered around the floor, and Justin could only hope the now dead marines had managed to take them all with them.

Brittany had now decided it was fight or die time. She had had several plasma rounds stream past her in the last battle with the Jackal, and her renewed since to survive had been brought to life by the spectacle of seeing Justin take down the elite in hand-to-hand combat.

Her silky red hair draped toward the floor as she reached down to collect a fallen marine's M6C magnum pistol, and gathered what clips she could find as well. The thought of taking such items off of another dead human sickened her, but she fought back the urge to vomit as she fumbled with the gun, trying to figure out how to use it.

Bob noticed her awkward handling of the firearm and walked over to her, motioning for her to give him the gun. Brittany extended her hand out, the gun dangling on her trigger finger by its trigger guard. Bob took the gun. "Ok, this lever ejects the magazine." Bob thumbed the release lever, and the magazine slid out with a slight click. He then removed the magazine and examined it, noticing it had two shots left.

"We better load this up, no telling what is behind that door." Bob grabbed one of the other clips Brittany handed him, then forcibly shoved it back in with the palm of his left hand. He then cocked the gun to ensure a round was in the chamber, and handed it back to her, grip first.

"Don't worry about the safety, I am sure you are going to need to shoot soon enough."

Justin had been waiting around long enough. He walked to the front of the Comm room door, and it began to part with a soft hiss. He stepped into the room, and immediately became concerned with the scene laid out before him. Much like the hallway they had just came from, bodies of both Covenant and humans seemed to be incongruous ornaments strewn thoughtlessly about the room.

There had been much fighting and bloodshed in this room, as their was hardly a monitor or workstation that didn't have blood or other body matter splattered over their surfaces.

"_Audrey? Can you hear me?"_

Justin tried surveying the room for his wife, but most of the lights had been destroyed during the fight. He switched on the external lighting built into the Hobbit, and the whole scene of carnage only seemed to increase. In many ways this was parallel to the reason the lights were on the MSAC in the first place.

In case of a collapse of a structure, it would be your beacon to follow, to help guide you to the thing you most wanted to find. In those cases it would be your own life. Here it was looking for the life he valued more than his own. Pain began swelling inside Justin as he tried to fight the nagging thoughts that were mounting.

Surely no one could be alive in this room?

Notes: Well, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Yay, we finally made it to the fighting! heh. I hope I haven't bored anyone so far. If anyone is wondering how the Hobbit seems to be blocking shots and destroying plasma swords, fear not, as that will be answered soon enough. Thank you for reading and please review!


	6. Chapter 6 Just can't take a hint

Notes: Thanks again to all who have stayed with me! I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I had a lot of fun writing it. Please review!

Just can't take a hint

_November 2nd, 2552 10:17AM_

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Level 8_

"Keep your focus dammit! They have to stop sometime!" PFC Curtis Avery couldn't really tell if he was trying to convince the other soldiers around him as much as he was himself. The fighting for the past ten minutes or so had been intense. Their squad leader, Lieutenant Jordan Johansen had been mowed down during the previous wave coming off the east elevator by a Jackal's plasma pistol.

There wasn't much left of the Lieutenant's head to actually verify his identity, but his blood-covered dog tags would tell who he had been in life and the soldier he had been in death. He had fought off two previous waves before getting his, and PFC Avery was wondering when death would come for him and the four others remaining with him.

Another ding from a closer elevator almost seemed to call out his number in line, as another group of grunts ran out, firing wildly toward the makeshift barrier the marines had resurrected out of a large desk formally used to check in personnel to be admitted into the Communications room.

The marines opened fire on the group of small creatures as smoke began to rise from their barrier, the plasma heating it up to the flash point and flames began to spring forth. "Grenade out!" a marine close to Curtis arced back and tossed a fragmentation grenade toward the group of grunts, but his forward motion kept him from dodging an incoming plasma shot.

The shot connected with the young marine's chest as he let out a scream of pain. He immediately crumpled to the floor, a sizeable bloodless hole showing the damage that was done, the wound was cauterized the moment the plasma hit him.

The marine had completed his objective, however, as the grenade landed solidly amongst the group of grunts. As shrieks erupted, the small creatures tried hobbling away in vain, but the grenade's shrapnel cut them all down, causing additional explosions as it punctured their methane tanks.

"What the hell was that?" PFC Avery turned to see a slender dark-headed man peeking out of the doorway of the Comm room. His eyes were wide from seeing all the death and destruction that lay just outside their door. "Get your stupid ass back in that room and seal the door! We will move you guys out when we are sure we can make it to the pods safely."

With that statement another monotone "ding" sounded in the hallway, the doors sliding open and two grunts with needlers stepped out. "Only two? Maybe we are thinning them down after all." PFC Avery got his first glimmer of hope since the siege on this floor had started. "Alright guys, let them have it!"

The sound of BR55 battle rifles and M7 submachine guns once again filled the hallway as the small group of marines cut loose, littering the bodies of the two grunts with bullet holes. The little creatures hardly knew what hit them, only managing to fire a couple of shots from their needlers that embedded harmlessly into the ceiling.

A minute passed and no more Covenant had gotten off the elevators, giving PFC Avery a moment to think and contemplate moving the Comm room staff. "Listen up marines, I think it is time to move the others to the life pods. I am thinking that we might have an easier time going the stair route, as they are only a couple of decks down."

Avery couldn't be sure why the Covenant seemed to refuse to use the stairs themselves, as that would allow them to strike on two fronts. Maybe they were just lazy from being used to grav lifts and hover vehicles. Or maybe they felt they were such better fighters that they didn't need to use surprise tactics to strike at their enemies.

Regardless of the reason, this seemed to be their chance to get the hell off this platform and down to the Earth's welcomed surface. "O'Donnell, get in there and tell them we are moving out. We aren't going to wait so tell them to grab n' go! Tucker, I want you and Jones on either side of the hallway, you two take the lead of the group. O'Donnell and I will fall in behind to cover our asses."

Private Michael O'Donnell opened the Comm room's door and began barking orders to the men and women inside. "Get your shit and get out! We don't have time to wait, go go GO!" Everyone in the room seemed to ignore O'Donnell's order at first, hesitant to leave the refuge that had so far protected them. One by one, however, they started snapping to and began darting from the room, running toward the two marines that were stationed midway between the Comm room and the stairwell.

Among the last to leave was Audrey. She had almost forgotten her chatter, and ran back to retrieve it. In her haste she dropped it off the table it had been resting on, losing her grip on it as it fell to the hard metal floor. The device's view screen flickered momentarily, then went black. "Dammit!" Audrey couldn't believe she had dropped the device. Not now. Not when she needed to get a hold of Justin to let him know that they were getting out.

Audrey quickly decided she would get someone else's chatter when they reached the escape pod and would then use it to radio him. She even thought briefly about just going to him, but a quick push from one of the marines told her instantly that she would be going with them. "Stay safe Justin." His image flashed through her thoughts as she started down the hallway toward the rest of the group.

The group reached the stairwell at the end of the hallway, and Private Tucker pushed open the door with his left hand, and then suddenly stopped, recoiling as he did so. The group watched in confusion and then horror as the Private's body was lifted off the ground, two reddish-purple blades suddenly revealed themselves as protruding from the young marine's back as he slumped forward, his life gone instantly.

His body was then thrown forcefully to the ground, and a gut-wrenching roar seemed to come out of thin air in front of them. Only Tucker's remains on the sword revealed anything about the attacker's location. Panic consumed Audrey and the other civilians as they ran back down the corridor, back to the only safe refuge that they knew of, the Comm room.

Automatic fire could be heard down the hall next to the stair well as the three remaining marines opened up on what they thought was the attacker's location. Suddenly Private Jones' head was set free from his body, blood spraying the floor and walls as his body resisted falling momentarily, his hand still squeezing the trigger of his M7 machine gun as the rest of his body began to accept its demise.

A stray bullet from Jones' M7 struck O'Donnell in his right arm, exiting out the back and making a mess of his triceps. PFC Avery grabbed O'Donnell's left arm and the two began backpedaling toward the Comm room and the defensive post they had been previously defending. Avery cursed himself for making what now seemed like such a stupid decision.

If only they had waited a bit longer then they would have known the beast was coming, instead of offering themselves up as some sort of sacrifice to just be slain at the attacker's whim. He had no way of knowing the elite was waiting for them, and would not have shown itself otherwise.

O'Donnell let out a scream that shocked Avery, and suddenly he realized the arm he had been holding was no longer connected to his fellow marine's body. Blood spewed forth from the wound, covering Avery's face and soaking his fatigues. O'Donnell had already hit the ground when Avery began to let loose of both his mind and ammo.

He fired wildly in all directions, shooting out one of the red elevator lights that had previously helped to signal the Covenant's arrival on the floor. "Fight me face to face you damned coward!" Avery yelled as he continued firing, just hoping he would manage to connect with the attacker. He knew he was the last defense for the helpless people in the Comm room. If he went down, this monster would surely slaughter them all.

A sharp pain across PFC Avery's abdomen brought his worst fears to life, as he slowly fell to the towards the floor, using his left arm in an attempt to keep his insides from spilling out. The cut had been clean and precise, as the blood hadn't even started flowing yet, but it would surely come. He had failed them all. He was the one who had taken charge after the Lt had died, and had managed to calm his men and regroup them, but he had been found incompetent by this monster, and now innocent civilians would die because of it.

----------------------------------------------

Ital Odrolee watched as the last human soldier fell to his blade, and smiled an invisible smile, knowing that he was about to do what he loved most. Odrolee hated the use of weapons other than his sheer strength and speed, but they had become necessary evils to use against the human's archaic projectiles. No, his hands were his tools to snuff out the worthless beings.

The prophets had pounded their teachings into every elite that the humans were an affront to their Gods and deserved no mercy, but Odrolee had never cared for any of it. ALL races were beneath the Sangheili and by his kindred's hands they would fall. It disgusted him to know he had to share the battles with the incapable Unggoy, Kig-yar and Lekgolo, as they were mostly ineffective against the humans.

They were all slow, and even though the Lekgolo possessed much strength, they had no intelligence about them, simply just following orders given by the useless prophets through the Sangheili. He often laughed at the thought of the "Great Journey". Only fools believed in such fairy tales. No, this was HIS "Great Journey", to extinguish vermin like the humans that would dare oppose his race.

Ordolee let out an irritated snort as he decided it was time to deactivate his camouflage. It served its purpose, but now he would have no need of it or of the forerunner's weapons. These would be easy prey for the mighty warrior, and his hands would be stained with their blood. He glanced down one more time at the fallen soldier who had ceased moving, and stepped into the doorway, causing the Comm room's door to open, revealing more humans.

After a quick survey, Ordolee counted four males and 2 females. Their fear tingled his nostrils, causing his excitement and aggression to build. His thirst was about to be quenched.

----------------------------------------------

Audrey couldn't remember if she had ever been more terrified of anything. Perhaps when her Aunt's home back in Kansas had been threatened by several Tornados when she was 8, but somehow that didn't even seem to compare. The creature's hoof-like feet made a dull clanking noise against the metal floor as it stepped into the room, its elongated head looking the room over as a fox seeking which chick it can consume.

Audrey's right hand gripped around the only "weapon" she had managed to find, a letter opener with a sharp double-edged blade. It seemed almost laughable that it might do her some good, but it was the only sliver of defense she could find. "Leave us alone!" the frightened outburst came from Michelle Aldridge, a young curly-black-headed girl. Audrey hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her a whole lot as the girl was a quiet type, but had found out she had recently gotten engaged after noticing the ring on her left hand.

She wished the girl would've remained quiet this time as well, as the outburst seemed to cause the monster to focus on their location in the room. A young man cowering closest to the elite must have noticed the gaze as he suddenly jumped up and punched at the creature's face. The creature must have seen it coming, as amazingly it managed to catch his hand in between its left mandibles, and then biting down.

The sounds of the young man's bones breaking were followed by a painful yell from his mouth. This was quickly silenced as the monster… "Elite". Suddenly the name for it came back into her mind. She had somehow managed to forget the name for it, whether it was from fear or just too many other thoughts to allow it to break to the front. The creature now had the man's throat in its massive hands, and with a quick flip of its wrist the man's neck snapped, and he fell as the creature released its grips on him.

Tears continued to form in Audrey's eyes with each person the elite destroyed. One of them, Audrey believed his name was Jim, had almost made it out the door when the elite grabbed his head, and squeezed it, crushing his skull and spilling his blood all over the floor. That was the last who had tried to escape, the rest vainly tried to stand up to the monster, and all had been rewarded with an agonizing death.

The elite stood before her and Michelle, seeming to ponder which he wanted to dispose of first. Neither of them moved until the elite had made his choice, and it was Michelle, Audrey would have to wait her turn.

----------------------------------------------

Ital Ordolee was exceedingly proud of himself. He had snuffed out four lives with his bare hands, and now it was time to destroy the females, the givers of life. It wouldn't be as fulfilling, after all, he had a helpless mate of his own, but it would have to do. The elite reached down and effortlessly picked up the short, slender girl by her neck, her breathing instantly becoming labored. The sound of their necks snapping had always been akin to some morbid symphony to Ordolee, and he savored it every time he heard it.

He however decided against choking the females. No, he would take their lives slowly, cutting off their precious air until their eyes rolled back and their chests failed to expand. He began gently applying more and more gentle pressure to the female, her face now starting to change colors due to its lack of sustenance. Out of his periphery, Ordolee spotted something that immediately took his mind off of the female's impending death. A monitor screen was showing images of something, could it be? Yes, it was the Demon.

Ordolee continued to watch the feed of a courtyard of sorts, with plants, tables and platform littered about its expanse. The Demon was firing into their forces, and his kindred were falling.

The images succeeded into angering Odolee, who wanted more than anything to have the Demon in the grip the young female was now in. To be able to extinguish his races' greatest enemy would make him esteemed above all.

----------------------------------------------

Audrey noticed the elite's fascination with the screen. She wished for a moment that the Spartan was here with them, as he would have avenged the dead. She also wished Justin was here, but couldn't bear the thought of him dying by this creature's hands the way the others had. No, it was her time. If she was to have any chance to get out of this alive, she would have to strike now.

With the elite's gaze still on the monitor, Audrey jumped up from the crouch she had assumed, and plunged the blade she possessed into the elite's neck. The elite instinctively swung his arm, knocking Audrey across the room and crashing into a nearby computer terminal, instantly knocking her unconscious. The confusion for the elite had also caused it to momentarily loosen its grip on Michelle's neck, allowing her to see clearly again.

Michelle had been a gymnast for most of her life. Her parents had even put her in training to be on the Canadian Olympic team, but she had never wanted to compete in such things. She had always been fascinated in computer systems, and the ability they gave humans to explore the vastness of space. Never would she have imagined that the years on the uneven bars would have prepared her for this, but in the scheme of things it had.

Michelle noticed the blade halfway sticking into the elite's neck, and quickly decided it needed to finish to its destination. She took both her arms and gripped the elite's massive, muscular forearm and hand that was trying to take her life and swung her lower body upward, placing a leg on each side of the creature's head. She then intertwined her feet and began squeezing her legs together, applying pressure to the blade and driving it deeper.

The pressure on Michelle's neck started to increase, and then decrease again as she realized she was making progress. She tried squeezing harder as the thin top to the opener started cutting into her leg, her blood dripping down onto the elite's shoulder. The elite brought its other arm to bear on her neck, but then both quickly became limp, dropping her to the floor. Michelle hit hard on the polished metal, and between that and the lack of oxygen, instantly fell into unconsciousness. As it fell, its head caught the corner of a large square metal table.

The table's edge gave way under the elite's head, but did its damage just the same. A gash revealed itself and the creature's purple-blue blood began to flow onto the cold metal floor.

----------------------------------------------

Ital Ordolee now struggled for each breath he took. He hated himself for overestimating his advantage and allowing them to get the upper hand on him. But that was all irrelevant now. His personal "Great Journey" was about to end, and he felt assured that this failure would keep his ascension with the prophets from happening as well. The thought of not having to see the pathetic creatures and hear their absurd sermons gave him a tinge of comfort as his breathing slowed to nothing as the light faded from his eyes.

End notes: Again, this was a fun chapter to write and I hope you enjoyed it. I am not sure how many more chapters there will be, but I can say that I have another story planned to follow this one. Hope to see your reviews!


	7. Chapter 7 Food Fight Part Deux

Notes: Thanks so far to all who have read my story. Please feel free to post reviews and comments as I think I am starting to get some sort of handle on how I want (maybe incorrectly) to write this stuff. I will mention that this story is going to lead into another one in the future, but no spoilers! Heh R&R

--------------------------------------------

Food Fight Part Deux

_November 2nd, 2552 10:41AM_

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Level 8 - Inside Comm Room_

Justin definitely did not like what he saw. The Comm room on this and the other platforms had been designed so a few people could monitor a lot of feeds through holopanels and an advanced alerting system, and it made for cramped quarters. Blood was strewn about the room and several people's lifeless bodies lay limp on the floor. It was all easily making Justin claustrophobic, which seemed odd to him. The MSAC he was in had never caused him any problems, and it didn't bother him now. This room, however, was simply stifling him and putting his nerves on notice.

It was then he noticed the elite on the floor, a steady stream of its blood trickled out of a small wound on its neck, made by some sort of object Justin couldn't make out. He then recoiled slightly as his eyes fell upon the small-framed woman slumped on the left side of the room. "Cover the door" Justin ordered as he pressed the Hobbit's release trigger, opened the back of the suit and stepped out. He quickly walked over to where Audrey lay unconscious and placed his fingers on the side of her neck. He felt what seemed like the weight of the world lift off his shoulders as he felt the rhythmic pulse of her blood coursing through her neck. "Thank God".

About half a dozen marines entered the door behind Justin, with two immediately taking posts at the door. The others began checking over the Comm. workers, each giving the others a headshake affirming the worker's deaths. One of the marines approached Justin. "I'm Sergeant Don Reynolds, my men and I were sent up her to take over for the crew so they could get off this boat before the Covenant made it up here, but we fought hell over in section A-3. We need to get you guys out of here. The bumblebees are going fast, with the only ones left remaining in the starboard side of the cargo hold. It shouldn't be a rough trip between here and there, as the Covies seem to be withdrawing back down toward the lower levels, and for some odd reason they have stopped sending in boarding parties."

The feeling of Audrey starting to stir in Justin's arms broke his attention away from the Sergeant. Justin looked at her fair complexion intently, whispering softly "I'm here Audrey, I told you I would get to you". Audrey's eyes opened slowly, then almost immediately started to water as she wrapped her arms around Justin's neck and pulled them together, trying to ignore the pain two broken ribs were causing her. "Where's Michelle?" Audrey's eyes were already beginning to water, expecting the worst for the young girl. The girl's desperate cry for the elite to leave them alone still rang in her ears, and suddenly Audrey snapped back into full awareness. "The elite, is it dead?" Audrey had much fear in her voice as she posed the question, and looked as though her whole body relaxed when Justin nodded his head, and pointed to the fallen creature on the floor just a few feet away.

"Ow, my head hurts like hell!" Justin and Audrey turned to see Michelle coming to, massaging her temples as she sat up against the wall behind her. One of the marines walked over to the young girl and began to examine her for injuries, then helped her to her feet as Justin and Audrey stood as well. "It was awful Justin" Audrey choked back tears as she started recounting the events in the room, how the others had tried to protect them only to fall to the elite one by one. How she thought she was going to see Michelle die before her eyes as well, but managed to plunge the letter opener into its neck. "The damned thing STILL wouldn't let go!" Michelle interjected, then proceeded to tell of how she had finished the elite off, although she didn't remember the fall to the floor.

"I am glad you are all having a nice reunion, but we need to get you the hell off this place before the Covies decide its time for another raid". The Sergeant's voice was rough and authoritative, which went well with his face. Clearly the scars ornamenting his forehead and cheeks had many stories to tell, but now would not be the time to hear them. "Davis, I want you to stay beside Audrey and the other girl, I am going to get back in the Hobbit in case we meet any resistance before we make it to the cargo hold." Justin turned and gave a smirk to Audrey, knowing she would give him a hard time over using her name for the MSAC, the same one he had jokingly sworn to her he would never use. "Alright people, let's move out!" The Sergeant motioned to the door and everyone started falling out, eager to leave the smell of death that had began to fill the room.

-----------------------------------------------

Mayab checked his methane readings and sighed, the boredom of guard duty was never one the Unggoy requested, but always seemed to get dispatched for it somehow. He looked around the open room, and up at the balcony area, then directed his gaze to his left. A grey-armored Sangheili was busy punching in codes on the "Zonti", as the Unggoy came to call it after the small spiny creatures they sometimes kept as pets. Mayab had once cared for one in his youth, on the Covenant outpost of Djarnule. He assumed "Baji" was probably dead now, as it had been many cycles since he had left her and his mate.

The Sangheili seemed lost in his task at hand, as he paid no attention to Mayab's scoffs at his predicament, which was probably a good thing. The Unggoy's life was one of borderline slavery to the Sangheili, and they showed no hesitation or remorse for striking down any who were insubordinate. He was glad that this would be over soon. They would leave this station and watch its destruction at the hands of the Zonti, to soon be followed by the destruction of the other stations at the hands of his brethren. The vermin needed to be cleansed from the galaxy, so that maybe this war would cease and his fellow Unggoy could finally return home to a world most of them had never seen.

_Vermin?_

The prophets' teachings had often referred to the destruction of the humans as a necessary step before the Great Journey could begin, but why? The Covenant had fired the first shot in this war, and it just seemed to Mayab that the humans didn't pose a significant threat to any of the Covenant's races' way of life. Well, except for the Demon, of course. Luckily, the Demon seemed to be on one of the other human's stations, and hopefully the Zonti being planted there would bring an end to his crusade against them.

"It is time". Mayab snapped out of his thoughts as the Sangheili's deep voice reverberated through the empty room. A subtle beep had begun coming from the Zonti, and it made him nervous. He knew they needed to get out of there. Luckily, their Gharnal boarding craft was still vacuumed against the large lookout window at the far end of the human's eating hall. Mayab started to waddle toward the craft as the Sangheili with him checked the Zonti one last time, ensuring the countdown was proceeding, and then began to catch up with Mayab as he reached the portal entrance. Mayab sighed as he heard the warning indicator for his methane tank go off, requiring him to change it. "What I wouldn't give for a Methane Tent about now." Mayab sighed as he stepped inside.

-----------------------------------------------

The MAC guns had seemed to cease their firing and that concerned Justin.

_Was it taken out? Probably not; if it had, the whole station would have went up. _

Still, the rhythmic thump of the projectiles being fired had quickly became a source of comfort for the people onboard the Malta, as if it was the heart of the platform itself. Justin peered out one of the viewing ports just before getting on the elevator. There were dozens of explosions going on above the Earth. Human and Covenant ships alike exploded from rains of plasma and MAC impacts, and the area about the station literally looked like a ship graveyard. Hulls of UNSC frigates and destroyers floated dead in space, trails of white leapt from them as oxygen vented out into the void of space. The battle, however, raged on as a slew of missiles went streaking past, leaving ghostly white trails in their wake as they sped toward an already-crippled Covenant ship. Their impact made Justin look away, momentarily blinded by the brilliant flash of the ship's reactors detonating despite the Hobbit's glare shield's vain attempt to darken itself in time.

Justin turned back and looked at Audrey as the elevator's doors slid open with a slight hiss, and the marines accompanying them did a quick sweep of the interior. He could tell she was in pain, although she was doing her best to hide it. He prayed a silent prayer that she had no internal injuries, as it would be a while before they made it to a medical facility of any sort. The other girl, Michelle, seemed to fair better, as she was walking intently, carrying a M6B pistol one of the marines back at the Comm. Room had given her. Brittany and Bob were staying close to each other, both brandishing M7 submachine guns. Davis stood with his BR55 pointed toward the ground, acting almost unconcerned that they were still on the station as he glanced at some holopanels, possibly trying to catch a glimpse of the Spartan.

"Alright, everyone fall in!" The Sergeant motioned for everyone to get into the elevator, and Justin, stepped in, edging himself to the very rear of the elevator to allow everyone to get in. It only took a few seconds to realize it wasn't going to happen. "Alright, here's what we are going to do. Fat boy will go down with the females and myself, and the two guys and Private Jordan here will remain and wait for the elevator to return. We will set up shop just outside the elevator exit into the mess hall, and you will fall in behind us. Be quick, don't be stupid and don't try to be a hero."

With that Brittany, Audrey and Michelle stepped in alongside Sergeant Reynolds. Brittany cast Bob a teary-eyed glance as the door closed, and Michelle placed her hand on her shoulder. "It will be alright hun, they'll be down in no time and we will get off this hellhole." Whether the gesture consoled her in some way Michelle didn't know. Probably nothing would provide comfort until they all had Earth underneath their feet again. Assuming, of course, that the Covenant had been driven back as well.

A sudden "ding" from the elevator alerted the crew that they had reached the mess hall, and all began to file out with guns at the ready. Sergeant Reynolds took point, and quickly scanned the area immediately around the elevator, but saw nothing. "Alright, it looks like we are clear up here. Everyone keep your eyes open and your heads down. When the others join us, we will fall out two by two with fat boy leading the way.."

"The name's Justin, sir." Everyone's tensions were high, as they all wanted to get out. Justin hadn't meant to snap at the Sergeant, but none of his group had seen combat or even had much training other than marksmanship, and it was starting to show. Justin couldn't tell if he was relieved or nervous that they hadn't seen any Covenant up until now, and he almost wished something would either pop out our give the all clear, as the uncertainty of the situation was starting to get to him.

"Ok, Justin. You will go first as you at least have some protection. If you come under fire, I will be right there to mow the bastards down. I will set the private up along the balcony rail to rain grenades down on anything that might happen to be down below. Just keep all your heads cool and we will all make it out of here alive. Oh yeah, and check your weapons before we move out, we don't want to walk into a firefight without any ammo.

As if right on cue the elevator behind them pinged, and they all turned and focused their aim on its door, just in case it wasn't their backup that had arrived. The sight the group aiming at them made Bob and Davis recoil slightly, but Private Eric Jordan never flinched. He stepped forward out of the elevator, and followed Sergeant Reynolds' order to take up a cover position along the balcony railing. He scanned the floor below them and noticed several bodies scattered around, but a small part of his view was blocked by a pillar stretching from the floor to the ceiling roughly fifteen feet over his head.

Private Jordan eased himself into the prone position and snaked slowly around the perimeter of the balcony until he saw something that made him stop. Attached to one part of the viewing window was a circular hole that had a brightly glowing outer edge. As he started into the whole, he saw a small creature shift in its spot, as if it was trying to fasten itself to some device. Private Jordan slowly brought his BR55 to bear, and adjusted the scope to 3x magnification. It was hard to make out, but he felt confident he was looking at a grunt that was trying to secure a methane tank to its back. Eric slowly released the safety on his rifle, and inhaled when suddenly a shriek came from the direction of the hole. "Look! More enemies!" Private Johnson squeezed the trigger as the KAT 9.5x40mm round exploded into the air, and exhaled when he saw the creature inside the hole fall.

The air seemed to suddenly shift around the entrance hole to the Covenant boarding craft, and a loud "wort" sounded throughout the room. Private Jordan fired two rounds into the general area the sound had came from, but was quickly met with a rebuttal of plasma fire. One shot hit the railing in front of him, causing it to become superheated to the point of Private Jordan feeling it over six inches away. The sudden heat caused him to shuffle himself backward as another bolt barely missing his head, but causing the skin on the side of his face to boil. The Private grabbed the side of his face and yelled in pain before rolling himself away from the balcony's edge.

Sergeant Reynolds ran up to the soldier to see the right side of his face severely burned, and immediately tossed a grenade over the side of the balcony. The grenade exploded below but plasma fire again erupted signifying the elite was still alive. Justin looked over toward the two soldiers and anger began to build on the inside of him. He didn't know why or where it was coming from. He should have been filled with fear knowing that there was an elite in the room with them and that even though they were all armed they were all still very much in danger. No, his anger was for his friend, Tom, and for Audrey. He had to get her out of there. He had to get them all out of there.

With a burst of speed Justin pushed forward in the hobbit, heading for the large stairway that once granted many marines and civilians access to food and communion with each other, but now seemed to be part of the great divide that was keeping them from getting to safety. Justin bound down the steps four at a time until he was about halfway down, then jumped the last twenty, landing down in a kneeling stance, frantically searching for the elite that had been firing up at the balcony. He began to get more and more apprehensive with each scan of the room, his eyes trying to peer into every dark and jaded place to see his enemy, but it was as if he was hunting a ghost, until it appeared as though the air itself moved about 30 feet in front of him. As quickly as his eye caught the movement, super-heated plasma began to gracefully arc its way toward him, the first couple of shots splashing across his torso, draining his shields to fifty-five percent.

_Why are they not arcing away like before?_ It had seemed like some supernatural power had been working in his favor before, but had turned cruelly on him now, with their escape looming so closely. Justin's mind raced to make the connection as two more shots grazed him, dropping his shield to thirty-eight percent. Suddenly, it all connected. "Magnetics" Justin whispered as a smile broke across his face. _Of course, the ends of the MSAC's arms are magnetized. They must alter the magnetic field the Covenant use to form and guide the plasma. _A quick view of his system HUD confirmed his suspicion. The magnetic poles of the arms were reversed to enable him to float and support objects using the fields themselves. Justin quickly threw up one of the arms as another volley of plasma came his way, but instead of connecting, the plasma's trajectory altered itself, and the connected with the wall behind him, burning more scars into the platform.

The alteration of the plasma didn't seem to phase the elite, though, as it began to advance toward him, the plasma rifle it held spewing forth superheated bolts toward Justin, all missing their mark by less and less as the elite closed in. Suddenly the plasma stopped and the elite's camouflage failed, revealing the creature and what used to be its head. "Take that you bastard!" Sergeant Reynolds' voice rang through the room, and it was followed by voices of approval from the rest of the team that were now joining up on Justin's flanks. Lastly the Sergeant and the wounded Private joined up with them, the Private sporting a large gauze that was hastily secured around his head. "Alright, let's get down to those lifebo.. Wait.. What is that beeping noise?" "Oh shit."

--------------------------------------------

Notes: Well, we are getting there. I hope you liked this chapter. For some reason it was hard to write, as I went back over a few sections several times, and am still not totally happy with it, but hopefully it is readable! Please R&R!


	8. Chapter 8 Tic Toc

Author's notes: Thanks to all the reviewers so far! I had a bit of a struggle with this one, but I hope you like it. Please R&R!

Tic Toc

_November 2nd, 2552 10:41AM_

_Sol System - Aboard the MAC Orbital platform Malta_

_Level 4 Aft - Mess Hall A_

"So that's why the Covenant had stopped attacking. They left us a present. We need to get the hell out of here NOW!" Sergeant Reynolds' previously cool demeanor had degenerated into a controlled panic as he realized the Anti-Matter bomb could go off at any time. None of them; no, this station would not survive the blast. "Sergeant, what is that thing?" Justin had moved up to Reynolds' side. For some reason the protection of the Hobbit's armor was now working against him, a mild case of claustrophobia beginning to grip his being.

"A nasty present from the Covenant, and we need to go before it decides to detonate. This whole place is going to go." Justin was taken back by the Sergeant's statement, but quickly regained his composure. "No, we need to get that thing off this station." The coldness in Justin's voice made the others wonder if he realized what he had just said. "I can get that thing out of here with the MSAC, and shove it out into space. Sergeant, can you take the others and head to the life pod? In case I don't get that thing out in time I want them out of here."

"No, you are NOT being a fucking hero!" Audrey was practically screaming at her husband, but as soon as the words came out of her mouth she knew they would land on deaf ears. She just couldn't stand the thought of possibly losing him. The feeling was mutual. "I am not going to be a hero, just the guy that gets this bomb out of here. No go with them and I will meet you on Earth. Sergeant get your man and these people out of here."

"Negative. Private Jordan, escort these people to the life pod, I will stay with Justin to defend in case there are any Covenant bastards left on this boat." Audrey opened her mouth to protest again, but Bob cut her short. "He will be fine, we need to get out of here." Somehow Audrey didn't believe Bob, and the thought of leaving him was killing her. "No, I am staying too." "Dammit Audrey! Get out of here now! Bob, please get her the hell out of here!" Bob immediately grabbed Audrey up and put her over his shoulder as she struggled against him. The others joined Bob as he sprinted toward the elevator, Audrey's thin frame not adding much weight to slow him down. Tears streamed down her face as the horror took hold of her. "Don't you die on me Justin Madison! Don't you go and fucking die on me!"

Justin mentally was hearing none of it. He knew he had to block the thought of leaving Audrey, perhaps for the last time, out of his mind. He looked at the Sergeant to his left as the elevator doors closed on the far side of the room behind them, and nodded to him as he started moving toward the bomb. The sound of the bomb's constant beeping seemed to echo louder in their mind as they walked closer, as if it was calling out to them in defiance for any action they might take against it.

_So what are we going to do with it?_

---------------------------------------------

Orma Usurlee watched as the humans exited to the transport on the far side of the room. His active camouflage combined with the bare purple interior of the boarding craft made him practically invisible to the filthy humans outside. He had chosen not to fight, but rather to wait. His orders were clear, to protect the bomb no matter the cost. Should the humans try to stop it, then he would cut them down like so many of their kind before.

_Pathetic humans, they will die, either by the hands of the prophet's device or by mine. They will not outlive this battle._

---------------------------------------------

Justin surveyed the room quickly and then turned again to Reynolds.

"Sergeant, do you know how to operate their boarding craft?" Reynolds quickly latched onto Justin's idea. "So you want to send it back where it came from huh?" The Sergeant could see Justin's head nod through the Hobbit's clear viewing plate, now covered with small scratches and splatter of Covenant blood. Justin carefully began manipulating the area around the bomb with magnetic fields, and with a slight upward motion of its appendages the bomb was levitated about 3 feet into the air.

The bomb's constant beeping seemed to grow louder in Justin's mind, and he wished he could just sprint the twenty or so feet to the pod and throw it in, but he had no clue if the jarring actions could set the thing off. Sweat ran down his face, a small bead of it getting into his left eye and irritating it. Although the MSAC's regulatory systems were working, there was just no way for it to control the stress that Justin was feeling. The weight of the world seemed to be on his shoulders, but he was glad he had the Hobbit to help him carry it.

He thought of Audrey, of their wedding day and of their honeymoon on Ministry. It brought him comfort knowing that his family was still safe there, and hopefully they could stop the Covenant before they would find them. He missed his father and brother.

_Why did the Covenant have to destroy humanity? _

_What the hell had we ever done to them? _

It wasn't up to Justin to answer the questions, as he refocused on the beeping pincushion before him. He was getting closer to the pod, and he was starting to feel some relief. Maybe he could save them after all.

---------------------------------------------

Wyetep shushed the other grunts that were standing with him. The cargo hold had been secured, and any attempts to regain it by the humans had been squashed by him and his small pack. The black SpecOps grunts were some of the best trained in the entire Covenant, and were one of the very few packs that got to engage an enemy without an elite watching over them. They had a complement of weapons with them, Wyetep carrying a needler while Bielin carried a plasma pistol, Nejap another needler and Tugaw hauled around a fuel rod cannon.

"Mayab, you there?" His radio came back with only a wash of static. "Wyetep not like this. Mayab not check in for two cycles." "Mayab not smart grunt, may have shot himself" Bielin placed his own plasma pistol to his head, and motioned as if he had blew his own brains out. Wyetep shook his head and turned toward the elevator as a noise caught his attention. "Transport coming this way. More humans to kill. Hide in shadows and attack as they pass. Tugaw, you blow up anything that gets past pack." The SpecOps grunts slid back into the hallway adjacent to the elevator. The lights had been destroyed inside to give the pack a dark place to hide while their enemies walked into their traps. Each time had been the same. They had slaughtered the humans that exited the transport and the hallway behind them was littered with their remains. The cauterizing effects of the covenant weapons had worked in their favor, as there wasn't much of a blood trail leading to their location.

The doors parted on the transport and a group of six humans, three male and three female exited. They were all armed, but that fact didn't bother Wyetep, as all the others had been as well.

---------------------------------------------

Private Jordan examined the room as they began to fall out, pointing his BR55 in various directions, searching for anything that could be perceived as a threat. Something didn't feel right. There didn't seem to be any activity, and he had thought there would be fewer life pods, but it looked as though there were as many as ten still docked out of the fifty that this part of the station housed. Most of the aircraft were gone, the parts of some strewn about the exit to the hangar, apparently not able to escape in time. There were still some tanks and warthogs, although Jordan knew the majority had been dispatched down to the earth to reinforce the ground forces.

Some lights flickered about halfway down the cargo hold, stubbornly trying to keep themselves alive despite some damage from misplaced ballistic and plasma fire. Small fires were also smoldering along its length, one of them being a Covenant Phantom that had managed to be taken out of the air by the scorpion that now lay crumbled beneath its crash site. There were both Covenant and human corpses dispensed throughout the expanse as well, but Private Jordan felt some solace in the fact that they seemed to have been stopped before getting close to the elevator.

Bob joined Private Jordan at his side, and they broke up surveying duties, with the Private sweeping the left and Bob the right. "Do you think that Justin will be able to get the bomb off the station?" Audrey tried speaking softly, but the eerie silence both in and around the cargo hold carried her voice well." Davis looked at her intently. I have seen Justin do amazing things with the MSAC. I don't think that porcupine will give him any problems. And if any Covies show up, the Serg will handle them. The only worry you have is how to meet back up with him when you both get to Earth."

---------------------------------------------

Wyetep grabbed Nejap's arm as he started to head out to slaughter the humans. "Change of plan. If translator right, they try to stop Zonti. We wait and go up to Mayab to see. Kill humans there and make sure Zonti destroy station." Nejap growled quietly and then cursed in their native tongue. His thirst for blood was stronger than his pack-mates, and he always enjoyed killing the humans, especially the females. In a former time he had been a red foot soldier, and had gotten his thirst when he participated in the slaughter of innocents on Draco III. Since that time he had almost became mad with his thirst.

_Let it be the will of the prophets that there will be humans there. I will shed their blood and watch them breath their last breath, even if it means the Zonti will be MY death. _

The pack watched as the humans moved past them and begin to enter the life pods, and waited until the door shut. A dull thud came from the far side of the room, announcing the pod's departure. "We go now. Stop stupid humans. Make sure Zonti blow up station and humans left."

_Finally. _

---------------------------------------------

_Almost there._

Justin could feel the weight starting to lift off of him as he now stood with the far tip of the bomb about three feet from the portal entrance. The purple energy arced itself from one portion of the round entrance to another, when suddenly the flowing energy seemed to distort itself. Justin tried to brace himself and adjust the output on the magnetic field but there was no time. The drop ship's pilot came barreling through the portal entrance, slamming into the bomb, hurtling it back into Justin. The impact sent the Hobbit off of its feet and crashing to the ground, as the bomb itself connected with the ground behind Justin, breaking off many of the spiny appendages that helped serve to keep it stationary.

Taking a quick look at his HUD, Justin noticed his shields were depleted, and a sensor was reading hydraulic failure in his right arm. He then noticed the elite standing over him, its plasma rifle pointing directly at his head. "Hey asshole! Over here!" The elite turned its head momentarily before having it explode all over the MSAC and surrounding floor. Apparently it had been too focused on getting Justin to realize the Sergeant was there. Justin watched as the elite's lifeless body fell off to his right, blood pouring out of its neck. He then tried to move the Hobbit's right arm to free it from under the elite, but found it inoperable. "Well that's fucking great." Justin reached across with his left arm and pushed the corpse off, then hobbled back to his feet.

"You alright?" Sergeant Reynolds still had a bead on the elite's body, as if he was sure it was going to come back from the dead. "The damn thing took out my right arm. I can still get the bomb out of here, but it is going to be a lot more difficult to balance it." "How about dragging the bastard?" The Sergeant had relaxed his aim and walked over to the bomb, giving one of its spines a strong tug. "Yeah, I can try that." Justin positioned the left forks around the spine and then closed them. A painfully loud scraping sound filled the room as the bomb started to shift, following Justin's lead. Justin felt like he was having to start over, as the bomb was now a good thirty feet from the opening, but now that he knew it could take abuse, he would be much more efficient about getting it there.

"Look out!" Justin could barely hear the cry from Sergeant Reynolds over the scraping of the bomb across the floor, and he turned just in time for several needler rounds to splash across his slowly replenishing shield, bringing it back down to twenty-eight percent from forty-three. Across the room beside the cargo elevator stood four grunts that had black armor that he had never heard of before. Sergeant Reynolds immediately took cover behind the bomb as several plasma streaks flew over his head. He took a quick glance around the side and noticed that two of the four were attempting to flank them, one on each side. Apparently these grunts were better trained than most. "I wish you had some sort of damned weapon." An idea clicked in Justin's mind and suddenly he knew he indeed did have a weapon.

Using the weight of the MSAC to brace against the bomb, he grabbed one of its spines with the Hobbit's left hand and gave it a good yank downward, breaking it off cleanly. He then manipulated it so that the point extended outward from the suit's palm, and held onto it tight as he increased the amount of the reverse polarity magnetic field. He stood up and took aim at the grunt holding the needler that had previously shot him, and aimed best he could at the small creature. Plasma and needler impacted his shield, again lowering it from its thirty-one percent regenerated state to twenty percent. He felt the spine start to slide outwards from the force the magnetic field placed on it, and released his grip.

The spine shot from his hand with great velocity toward the black armored grunt, and entered just below its neck. The armor it was wearing seemed to have little effect as the spine tore its way out of the grunt's back and embedded itself in the wall behind it. The creature stood motionless momentarily before crumbling under its own weight, and blood spilled forth onto the floor. The other grunts momentarily stopped their assault to look at their now-fallen comrade, and Sergeant Reynolds saw his chance to strike. He put the grunt flanking their right into his sights and pulled the trigger, the BR55 barking out a three-round burst that immediately caused blood to splash across the wall behind it as a few needles managed to escape harmlessly into the metal floor beneath it.

---------------------------------------------

Wyetep had seen enough. Bielin and Nejap's deaths cut deep into Wyetep, as they had both saved his life in previous engagments. They were his responsibility, and he had failed them as a commander, no, he had simply lead them to the slaughter. He had clearly underestimated these two humans, and now his brethren had paid dearly for it. Maybe the prophets were wise to put Sangheili over the Unggoy, even though they were despicable creatures. A barrage of needler shards arced from Wyetep's weapon toward the now-exposed human soldier, and impacted his left arm as he tried to shield himself. A smile grew across the Unggoy's face as he watched the appendage separate from the body, and blood began to pour from the wound he had created.

_But how to deal with the armored human? Surely this is not one of the demons? How will we draw him ou…?_

Wyetep saw his opportunity in the form of the port created from the boarding ship. "Tugaw! You no shoot human, aim for window hole! He die in space!"

---------------------------------------------

Justin looked over at Sergeant Reynolds' now lifeless corpse. He was alone. This was his task to complete, and somehow he had to do it. Justin once again broke another spine off the bomb, and took careful aim at the small grunt that seemed to be leading them. He was so focused on targeting the little creature that he didn't notice the brilliant green bolt arcing through the air until it splashed across the screen behind him. The shockwave knocked Justin into the bomb, as another spine pierced a relay for the right leg hydraulics, sending him crashing to the floor. "This just couldn't get any damn better." Justin wondered why they had fired so far off the mark, but the sudden gut-wrenching sound of metal beginning to stress behind him made him realize their plan.

Using the left leg to push him into the open for the shot, Justin once again took aim, but this time at the grunt with the fuel rod canon. He released the spine, projecting it across the room, hitting the small creature in the leg and tearing it off. The grunt screamed in pain as it fell to the floor and began rapidly bleeding out. Justin instantly reached up to attempt to break off another spine, but without the wait of the MSAC to offset the pressure, it simply rocked back and forth, but seemed to be caught on the floors' dull-metallic paneling. As he let go of the bomb he noticed the beeping starting to become faster, and higher in pitch.

_Dammit, I am not going to die here_

Justin extended the Hobbit's leg out to meet the bomb, and once again took hold of a spine. He yanked quickly and was relieved when it broke off. He quickly positioned it and began to aim, and noticed the remaining grunt now had the fuel rod canon, and was taking aim as well. The beeping from the bomb continued to intensify as the two let go of their rounds at the same time, the spine flying fast and straight as the green glob arced slowly toward the porthole. The grunt flinched as the spine flew past its head and went through a potted tree behind him, splintering out the back side and then embedding itself into the wall.

The round the grunt shot, however, was on target and landed gracefully inside the boarding craft before detonating. Their was an ear shattering noise as the craft exploding, exposing the inside of the station to the vacuum of space. Chairs and tables and anything not bolted down began flying out of the station, some being contorted and crushed to fit through the opening. Justin tried to grab hold of the bomb, hoping to pull it out of the station with him, but could not latch onto it quickly enough as he was picked up and tossed out through the hole.

Justin struggled to look back toward the Malta, as he continued to be propelled away from it. He noticed the grunt had been sucked out the whole as well, and struggled vainly for its life as blood began to break through its skin, forming a grotesque cloud of droplet bubbles around it as it became motionless. He could also see life pods continuing to stream from different sections of the Malta, and silently prayed that Audrey was on one of them. Maybe his dream had been more a premonition than he had thought. Audrey was indeed falling away from him, but it wasn't to her doom, but rather to the relative safety of the Earth. At least Justin hoped that's how it was happening.

He then closed his eyes, satisfied that indeed that was the way it was happening. It _had_ to be. He only now need to await the inevitable, and it came for him as the station erupted into a brilliant flame of varying colors as many secondary explosions of ships and satellites erupted around what was once the Malta's perimeter.

Justin began to scream as the wave washed over him. His shields instantly failed and the hydrostatic gel boiled. He could feel his skin burning and boiling as the heat continued to rise, and shock set in. He only managed to utter his only solace as he slipped into unconsciousness.

_I love you Audrey. I'm sorry_

_THE END_

---------------------------------------------

Author's notes: I hoped everyone enjoyed my story. This is going to be the kickoff for some things to come after it, and hopefully I will do a better job. I was a bit sparse with the amount of fighting with this story, but I am planning quite a bit in the next one, as well as developing some of the characters further. I am trying to copy (read: steal) some writing styles of other authors to hopefully spice up my stories some more, so any suggestions you have would be appreciated!


End file.
